Pending Bilstein Shock Recall

Sam I Am 1966

Build date was Feb 2023 so in the range on the recall but Ford.com shows “no recalls”. Weird. Guess I’ll wait and see if I get a letter.

Yeah it is weird. Did you search by VIN? Maybe a mod was made to the shocks to compensate for the poor design and there’re waiting for manufacturing/inventory to catch up?
I’m thinking that if your build doesn’t reflect a recall right now it’s already equipped with a better product?

microbellis

Not sure if or how different the Bilsteins are, but in case anyone wonders - my non-Sasquatch 2022 Badlands has the recall notice too in the Ford App.

All Badlands whether Sasquatch or not come with the same Bilstein shocks

I crawled under my Bronco last night to see the area of concern. It was tight, and I couldn’t see much. Also, I’ve got the DV8 rear shock skid plates installed, so it limited my view. Even if my reservoirs detached, I don’t think they’d go very far considering how the shock assembly is ensconced.

surely this is the only vehicle impacted. I mean, Bilsteins probably made this same shock/reservoir for other vehicles. It would be a lot of replacements.

This is what it looks like when it bails. I first discovered it by noticing a pool of oil under my rear passenger tire. Driving a vehicle with one shock that is not dampening is an unnerving experience. You hit some bumps and it acts totally normal and then you hit other bumps and it does this weird thing where the rear end feels like it squats and slides to the side at the same time. This was May of 2023...so it had only be through one mild, relatively snowless winter and it was this corroded.

Why is it just the rear shocks? Are they not the same as the fronts or very similar. Is it just that the rears will get more salt spray on them and corrode faster. Either way I get at least two shocks replaced.

Jakob1972

Why is it just the rear shocks? Are they not the same as the fronts or very similar. Is it just that the rears will get more salt spray on them and corrode faster. Either way I get at least two shocks replaced.

Yep I was wondering the same thing, great question. You could be right about the reasoning of position/exposure. If so it doesn’t bode well for the front’s longevity.😬

extra toasty

Yeah it is weird. Did you search by VIN? Maybe a mod was made to the shocks to compensate for the poor design and there’re waiting for manufacturing/inventory to catch up?
I’m thinking that if your build doesn’t reflect a recall right now it’s already equipped with a better product?

Yes, I searched by VIN.

Still weird, and just got a little interesting. Here a shot of my rear (yes rear) shock. Am I an unicorn?? This would explain why I’m not on the list.

Sam I Am 1966

Still weird, and just got a little interesting. Here a shot of my rear (yes rear) shock. Am I a unicorn?? This would explain why I’m not on the list.

Do all wildtraks use Fox shocks?

Sam I Am 1966

Still weird, and just got a little interesting. Here a shot of my rear (yes rear) shock. Am I a unicorn?? This would explain why I’m not on the list.

Starting in I think, late 23 and ever since, the WT comes with the upgraded Fox suspension, steering rack and tie rods. That explains it.

TK1215

Starting in I think, late 23 and ever since, the WT comes with the upgraded Fox suspension, steering rack and tie rods. That explains it.

Gotcha! Good to know. My build date was Feb 2023 so that change you mentioned must have started early ‘23. Thanks all.

BuckYeah

I crawled under my Bronco last night to see the area of concern. It was tight, and I couldn’t see much. Also, I’ve got the DV8 rear shock skid plates installed, so it limited my view. Even if my reservoirs detached, I don’t think they’d go very far considering how the shock assembly is ensconced.

What you have right there is how it starts. And not all reservoirs fall off. Mine never fell off, but all of the fluid leaked out. First time (around 41k miles), I replaced with the same shock, think it ran me around $300. When the 2nd one went, I ripped out both shocks and replaced with different. So maybe those of us who replaced already due to the shocks going bad will get some other form of remediation because this B.S. should've been addressed when it 1st started showing up 2 years ago!

This is not limited to Sasquatches. I just checked my 21, Badlands non sas, i’m on the recall. I had the right rear replaced over a year ago for leaking reservoir. The dealer fought tooth and nail saying it was the axle speed sensor leaking. Being a mechanic for 40 years, I knew they were wrong. But I relented on the condition; if they were wrong I was going to kick the service manager til he was dead. They changed the sensor, I drove it around the parking lot at the dealer, parked it on the sidewalk in front of the door of service and waited for someone to come out and look at my leaking shock. The service manager was understandably unavailable for the day. They had to order the shock! I had an appointment for a week for a “shock leak” and didn’t bother to make sure they had a part on hand. 2weeks later they got the part. Brought it in . No leaks since. No service manager . That’s why ford service is so bad.

My 2023 Badlands 2dr - non Sas - is also included in the recall..

I replaced my shocks a while back with Bilstein 6100's so not an issue for me but others with a non sas might also want to check the recall... I believe sas and and non sas use the same shocks but I could be wrong.

Thanks for the warning sign photos, @EvlNvrDys. They're very useful. I got to thinking that I wouldn't notice any leaks right away because the fluid m#@!dskla;lsdfjaskdlfay pool and evaporate in the skid plates, but now I see that the leak is evident on the side of the shock itself!

I'll have to check my window sticker (which I for some reason can't retrieve on the window sticker website anymore...so I'll have to look for the original in the glove compartment) but I'm pretty sure the one I bought was sold to me as non-Squatch. I've always felt like it had a somewhat beefier stance than the non-Squatch. But the fender flares APPEAR to me to be the standard narrower ones. But mine is for sure part of the recall and for sure has these shocks on it.

nrlucas

I'll have to check my window sticker (which I for some reason can't retrieve on the window sticker website anymore...so I'll have to look for the original in the glove compartment) but I'm pretty sure the one I bought was sold to me as non-Squatch. I've always felt like it had a somewhat beefier stance than the non-Squatch. But the fender flares APPEAR to me to be the standard narrower ones. But mine is for sure part of the recall and for sure has these shocks on it.

Quick hack…. Once you find your window sticker, take a picture of it and save it on your phone… I’ll bet I refer to mine a couple times a month…

EvlNvrDys

What you have right there is how it starts. And not all reservoirs fall off. Mine never fell off, but all of the fluid leaked out. First time (around 41k miles), I replaced with the same shock, think it ran me around $300. When the 2nd one went, I ripped out both shocks and replaced with different. So maybe those of us who replaced already due to the shocks going bad will get some other form of remediation because this B.S. should've been addressed when it 1st started showing up 2 years ago!

That’s exactly what my driveway looks like!

nrlucas

I'll have to check my window sticker (which I for some reason can't retrieve on the window sticker website anymore...so I'll have to look for the original in the glove compartment) but I'm pretty sure the one I bought was sold to me as non-Squatch. I've always felt like it had a somewhat beefier stance than the non-Squatch. But the fender flares APPEAR to me to be the standard narrower ones. But mine is for sure part of the recall and for sure has these shocks on it.

This should say all Badlands models and all Sasquatch Broncos with the exception of HOSS 3.0 equipped Wildtraks/Broncos are affected by this recall.